ABC's 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' Helps Family Coping with Primary Immunodeficien...(re very thankful for the joys and relief...),Health

The Cerda family was chosen because of their personal, financial and health-related difficulties resulting from having PIDD, but also because of their incredible volunteer work for IDF and for families in need, both in their local community and around the country.

"Terri has been a tireless advocate for her family and others living with their illness, and she and her family deserve this happiness," said Marcia Boyle, founder and president of the Immune Deficiency Foundation. "We are grateful to the volunteers for their help, and to 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' for giving the Cerda family greater hope, and the opportunity to highlight and bring greater awareness and understanding to their illness and our Foundation."

Primary immunodeficiency diseases occur in patients born with an immune system that is either absent or poorly functioning. There are over 150 different types of PIDD, all caused by genetic or intrinsic defects. People with PIDD live their entire lives more susceptible to infections--enduring recurrent health problems and often developing serious and debilitating illnesses. With early diagnosis and appropriate therapies, many patients can live healthy and productive lives. Although some PIDD manifest in infancy or early childhood, some forms can occur in any decade of life.

Primary immunodeficiency diseases were a recent topic on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where Representatives Israel (D-NY), Brady (R-TX) and Schwartz (D-PA), and Senators Kerry (D-MA) and Alexander (R-TN), introduced the Medicare Patient IVIG Access Act of 2009 (H.R. 2002 and S. 701 respectively) - meant to remedy inadequate Medicare reimbursements for intravenous immune globulin (IVIG
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